Employment-Ready Digital Media Trainees

Auckland based
company FutureYou has launched an innovative initiative to
teach university graduates specific skills for entry roles
in the digital media industry. These are for companies such
as media publishers, sales networks, media agencies and
marketers who in many cases have severe skill shortages due
to digital’s explosive growth.

The FutureYou Academy
aims to bridge the gap between tertiary education and
industry practices so that its trainees can contribute
positively to an employer’s business from day one.

Director Michael Te Young believes the talent shortage is
the number one issue in the industry. According to Te Young
paucity of skilled resource makes training difficult,
especially at scale. “Some companies have programmes in
place but the reality is that digital staff have to conduct
the training and that just intensifies pressure on their
workloads. So the programme becomes inconsistent because at
the end of the day doing the business is the highest
priority. On top of that, utilising new starters is even
more challenging because they don’t become effective until
after being trained.”

The Academy is a hybrid training
and recruitment business model. It screens and selects its
trainees carefully before putting them through the course.
Once completed, they are presented to partner companies who
put them through their own selection process. If
successfully employed, the company pays a simple placement
fee.

Te Young wants to provide a solution by producing a
superior pool of trainee talent from which employers can
recruit. Unlike other courses the Academy is not holistic
but instead focuses on teaching four practical digital media
competencies: Understanding reports, managing campaigns,
constructing proposals and creating media plans. Students
are also required to sit their Google AdWords Fundamentals
exam.

Once a contract is signed, FutureYou can facilitate
a company induction programme before the trainee commences
to tailor them further to the employer’s business. They
will also support the trainee during their first 3 month’s
employment to monitor their progress and help fill any
knowledge gaps.

KBR Digital is a company that hired one of
the Academy’s trainees Richard Morhall. GM Allanah Tatana
says “From an employer’s perspective hiring someone
fresh out of the FutureYou Academy was a no brainer. The
Academy set up Richard for success by teaching him the
foundations of the digital world and he easily slotted into
our business ready to take on the challenges of daily work
life. He has been at KBR for 4 months and is hungry,
motivated and super smart”

Te Young is focusing on
placements for the remaining trainees from the pilot course
and is currently recruiting the second
intake.

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